April 22 (SeeNews) - Telekom Austria Group said on Wednesday its Macedonian wireless unit, Vip Operator, posted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of 200,000 euro ($214,000) in the first quarter of 2015, down from 300,000 euro a year ago.
VIP Operator’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 36.6% on the year to 3.4 million euro in the first quarter, while its revenues were up by an annual 17.6% to 15.9 million euro, Telekom Austria said in its first-quarter financial report.
Vip Operator's mobile subscribers fell by an annual 1% to 616,100 at end-March.
At the end of the first quarter the operator had a market share of 28.4%, slightly down from 28.3% a year ago. Wireless penetration rate in Macedonia was 105.7% at the end of March, down from 107.1% a year ago.
In October 2014, Telekom Slovenije [LJE:TLSG] said it signed a deal with Telekom Austria Group for the merger of their Macedonian units ONE and Vip Operator. Telekom Slovenije will own 45% of the company that will be formed after the merger, while Telekom Austria will hold a 55% stake.
In January, Macedonian competition watchdog said that the company resulting from the planned merger of the Macedonian units of Telekom Slovenije [LJE:TLSG] and Telekom Austria Group will be named one.Vip.
In Macedonia, a country of some two million people, Vip Operator and ONE compete on the mobile segment with T-Mobile Macedonia, a unit of Magyar Telekom.
($=0.9362 euro)